Technical Fault in Passport System Disrupts Services, Overseas Pakistanis Face Difficulties

Lahore: A major technical fault in Pakistan’s Passport and Immigration system has caused significant disruptions, leaving overseas Pakistanis struggling to obtain passports.
According to official sources, the issuance of e-passports and machine-readable passports for Europe, the Middle East, Turkey, and other regions has been temporarily suspended due to the system failure.
Authorities confirmed that the technical issue at the Passport and Immigration headquarters has persisted for over a week without resolution, leading to delays in services.
As a result, Pakistan’s embassies and consulates in Saudi Arabia, Europe, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, and Turkey have displayed notices informing applicants that passport services are currently unavailable due to system downtime.
The breakdown has particularly affected overseas Pakistanis who rely on consular services for urgent travel documentation and renewals.
Officials said efforts are underway to restore the system, but no clear timeline has been provided for the resumption of normal passport issuance services.